Review: Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Candlewick Press

October 12, 2010

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling and her insecure freshman brother, John, are hitting the books at the Marlowe School. But one tome consumes their attention: THE BOOK OF GATES, a coveted Egyptian artifact that their professor father believes has magical powers. Soon Wendy and John discover that the legend is real—when they recite from its pages and descend into a snaking realm beneath the Manhattan school. As the hallways darken, and dead moths cake the floor, a charismatic new R.A. named Peter reveals that their actions have unleashed a terrible consequence: the underworld and all its evil is now seeping into Marlowe. Daniel Nayeri and Dina Nayeri return to reimagine Peter Pan as a twisty, atmospheric, and fast-paced fantasy about the perils of immortality.

My Thoughts:

Alright. I read the first in the series Another Faust and I fell in love. I absolutely adored everything about this book, even though it was tough to read and Governess Vileroy freaked me out of my mind. I couldn't put the book down and I made all of my friends read it after I finished. I even researched the original Faust story to learn more about the legend behind the book. I loved it! 

So when I heard that Daniel and Dina Nayeri were writing another book, I was really excited. I couldn't wait to see how they would modernize and rework the story of Peter Pan. I put it on my wish list ASAP and bought it as soon as I had a coupon. I brought it home, sat down and started reading. 

Needless to say, halfway through, I had to put it down and read something else. I really wanted to love this book, but I was left just liking it. The Peter Pan elements were few and far between. I wanted more Peter Pan and less Egypt. Don't get me wrong, the Egypt parts were great but I wanted more detail about Peter and where he came from and what he was. The characters were interesting, to say the least. I liked being able to see more of John Darling than you get to see in the Disney movie, even though I didn't really like his character. Wendy was annoying. I hate to say that about a character but she fawns over Peter from the beginning and never really comes into herself until the very, very end of the book. Peter was an interesting character. He was so focused on his mission that you didn't get to know him very well. The whole time I thought he was just a misguided teen and then he turned around and made me think he was mean. The lost boys were odd and almost felt misplaced in the scheme of the story. 

All in all, I liked the book, but I think I was expecting something different. READ WITH AN OPEN MIND!

3.5/5